But that doesn’t mean he plans on rolling over for the UFC middleweight champ, who steps up to light heavyweight for the special attraction.

“I’ve never been the most confident person, but I know when I’m locked in the cage with someone trying to kill me, I fight my f—ing ass off,” Bonnar told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

UFC 153 takes place Saturday at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The event’s main card, which is headlined by Silva vs. Bonnar, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Bonnar recently poked fun at his underdog status in a UFC promo video featuring he and Forrest Griffin, who twice fought him and also lost a lopsided fight to “The Spider” at UFC 101. The clip ends with Bonnar giving the camera a forlorn look as Griffin tells him there’s pretty much no way for him to win.

Today during an open workout in support of UFC 153, “The American Psycho” was just the opposite. He praised Silva’s dancing skills and said Saturday’s fight blew away a requirement he held for continuing to fight – that his opponents have more Twitters followers.

At 2 million plus, Silva fit the bill nicely.

Still, Bonnar, who was almost most retired before he took the short-notice opportunity, said he isn’t changing anything about the way he fights on Saturday night and plans “to take Anderson through hell – with me.”

“I’m always going to be a big underdog, and when I get in there, I’m going to f—ing fight like I always do,” he said. “I go after him. That’s just me.”

Odds aren’t as stacked against Bonnar as they were when the headliner was announced nearly a month ago. Then a historic 13-to-1 underdog, his chances have improved in betting lines as some have put money on the longshot.

But make no mistake about it: Few expect him to win.

“There’s a lot less pressure, but it’s not like I’m going to quit,” Bonnar said. “It’s not like I’m going to be, ‘Oh, I’m hurt, I’m going to lay down and curl up.’ F— no.”